A pastry cook, similar to a pastry chef or pastry artist, prepares cakes, breads, or other pastries. Their job is baking for a client, bakery, restaurant, or retail store. Job duties include following, modifying, and creating recipes, ordering necessary supplies and ingredients, baking cakes and pastries, and decorating baked goods. You need good math skills for measuring ingredients and modifying recipes, and excellent baking skills to succeed in this career. A pastry cook may work independently or as part of a team, so good communication skills are also important.